Multiple entertainment options including an Arthurian-themed dinner show

Family-friendly, with Fun Dungeon arcade and games space for kids

Spa with sauna, steam, and fitness center with cardio and weight equipment

Free Wi-Fi throughout

Cons

Resort fee and tax not included in room rates

Cheesy, medieval-inspired decor may be off-putting for some

Fee to use spa facilities (except for fitness center)

Fee for parking (both self and valet)

Bottom Line

At the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, the 3,981-room, mid-range Excalibur Hotel And Casino is a gigantic destination casino hotel with a strong focus on family-friendly features and amenities. It was the largest hotel in the world when it opened back in 1990, and has a huge number of features to match, including four pools, a spa, multiple restaurants, live entertainment and -- of course -- a gigantic casino. While much of the hotel's common-area decor has a vaguely medieval theme (in a theme-parkish kind of way), the rooms are generic and typical of what one might find in a chain hotel, with flat-screen TVs and dated, but not unattractive, bathrooms with basic toiletries. The Excalibur is typically a more affordable alternative to New York New York across the street, which has a roller coaster, and the Egypt-themed Luxor Las Vegas.

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Casual casino hotel with cheesy, medieval decor that's popular with youngsters and families

The family-friendly, medieval-themed Excalibur is a fortress-shaped hotel-casino on the southern end of the Strip. Vegas may be best known as a sexy, sinful, adult-only playground, but it can also be a place for family fun, and the Excalibur epitomizes this hybrid. It is definitely one of the kid-friendlier options on the Strip, and the 3,981-room hotel is corny, with architecture that is themed to the max. The arches over the cabstand are outfitted with mock wooden portcullises. Suits of armor, stained-glass windows, and medieval-style chandeliers adorn the entrances. Signboards proclaim, "Welcome to Excalibur. You Rule." (The hotel shows some restraint in staff uniforms, however; staffers dress in sports coats and ties, not medieval garb.)

The castle motif tends to be a hit with children, who can be seen bustling around the casino floor and the mezzanine-level food court. At the pool, parents tend to their water-wing-clad children in the shallow end, and kids flock to the waterslide. A healthy contingent of young adults stay at the Excalibur, too, drawn by its affordable rates -- some of the most competitive on the Strip. The entertainment offerings illustrate the hotel's split clientele; families might enjoy the Arthurian-themed dinner show, while bachelorette parties can hit up Thunder Down Under, known for its scantily clad male dancers.

At the southern end of the Vegas Strip, a short drive from the airport

Most Las Vegas visitors want to explore all of the big properties along the densely packed stretch of hotel-casinos known as the Strip, and the Excalibur sits at the southern end. An indoor walkway and a tram connect guests to the pyramid-shaped Luxor, where an enormous atrium houses a variety of solid restaurants. Across Tropicana Avenue, New York New York features its own roller coaster, and the nearby MGM Grand has an enormous casino. Cabs are easy to find at virtually any time of day or night; travelers can also hop on the Deuce, a double-decker bus that runs up and down the strip 24 /7. There's also a monorail system, which stops at Bally's, Caesars Palace, Harrah's, the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Westgate, and the SLS. Virtually every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip is a 10- to 15-minute cab ride from McCarran International Airport.

Generic but modern rooms with basic amenities and one king-size or two queen-size beds

The Excalibur features a whopping 3,981 rooms, all with either one king-size or two queen-size beds. Decor varies a bit from room to room, with differing color schemes but more or less the same vibe. Most have lightly patterned carpeting, beige or blue-grey walls (or both), wooden desks and dressers with small flat-screen TVs, and white bedding with blue or multicolored patterned throw cushions. A variety of accessible rooms are available, some with roll-in showers. There are also three types of suite, the largest of which -- the Two-Bedroom Luxury Suite -- features extras such as a wet bar and a deep soaking tub. Bathrooms are typically a bit dated, with older tiles on the floors and in the showers. All rooms are air-conditioned and have desks, safes, and irons with ironing boards. Bathrooms have glass-enclosed walk-in showers, low-voltage wall-mounted hairdryers, and basic toiletries.

Multiple restaurants and pools, a spa with fitness center, huge casino, and meeting and wedding facilities

Unsurprisingly for a hotel of its size, the Excalibur has plenty of amenities, including a spa with a modern fitness center, complete with cardio equipment and weight machines. The spa also features separate saunas for men and women, steam rooms, hot tubs, and a spa with a variety of treatments ranging from hot stone massages to facials. While access to the fitness center is free, guests must pay a small fee to access the rest of the spa facilities (such as the saunas and steam rooms). Fortunately, access to the four swimming pools is included in the resort fee that's tacked on to all reservations. There's an adult-only pool for the 18-plus set, a spa pool, a pool with a waterslide, and a main pool with regular DJ performances on the weekends in the summer months. Food and drinks are available from Drenched Bar & Grill.

Along with a number of bars, there are lots of dining options, including Buca di Beppo, a family-friendly Italian restaurant, a 24-hour branch of Tex-Mex fast food chain Baja Fresh, a hybrid Orange Julius/Dairy Queen, a branch of burger joint Johnny Rockets, and a casual bar/restaurant, Delicious Messy. Fine dining is available at The Steakhouse at Camelot, and in the true Vegas style, there's a buffet with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, featuring a "Crab Leg Fest" held every Friday and Saturday night. Room service is also available.

Entertainment is a big focus at the hotel, with a variety of one-off events and concerts, plus regular entertainment options including Bee Gees tribute shows, Tournament of Kings (an Arthurian-themed dinner show complete with knights in shining armor), and Thunder Down Under, an Aussie-themed dance and performance show put on by toned, shirtless men. There's also a huge casino with race and sports gambling, poker, slots, and table games. For families, there's the Fun Dungeon, with plenty of arcade games. The property also offers a number of wedding options and a variety of meeting rooms, the largest of which -- the Great Hall -- can fit up to 850 guests. Wi-Fi is included in the resort fee and self and valet parking are available for a fee.